Weather strip

ABSTRACT

A weather strip comprising an extruded body having straight sections and a corner section curving therebetween is disclosed. The extruded body comprises an attachment portion and a hollow sealing portion integrally formed by extrusion molding. The attachment portion is attached to a part of an automobile and the sealing portion is connected to the attachment portion at both ends. The weather strip comprises: an incision slit made on the outer periphery of the sealing portion in the corner section; an incision edge formed on the sealing portion along the incision slit, the incision edge being spread out toward the outer periphery of the corner section with the attachment portion and sealing portion being curved along a corner shape of the part of the automobile; and a molded part formed at least in the vicinity of the incision edge on the back side of the sealing portion in the corner section.

This is a divisional application of Ser. No. 09/181,670, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,395,355B1 which was filed on Oct. 29, 1998, the contents of whichare incorporated in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a weather strip having a curved cornersection. Examples of such a weather strip including an opening trimattach to an opening peripheral edge of an automobile body. The openingis open and closed with a panel such as a side door panel, a hatchbackdoor panel, a trunk panel, a quarter window panel and a sliding roof ofthe automobile. The weather strip is attached to one of such openingperipheral edge and open and closed panels.

2. Description of Related Art

According to the first conventional weather strip as shown in FIG. 23,an opening trim (weather strip) 51 is attached to a flange 2 of anopening peripheral edge of an automobile body 1, which seals a gapbetween the body 1 and a door panel 3 when the door panel 3 is closed.The opening trim 51 is mainly composed of an extruded product 52, asshown in FIGS. 24 and 25. The extruded product 52 is formed by commonextrusion from a solid rubber, which forms an attachment portion 53 anda lip portion 55, and a sponge rubber, which forms a hollow(loop-shaped) sealing portion 54. The attachment portion 53 has a metalreinforcing insert 56 embedded therein. The sealing portion 54 isconnected to the attachment portion 53 at both ends of the loop.

Since the opening trim 51 is required to be curved along a corner of thedoor opening peripheral edge, it has a corner section C which curvesbetween straight sections S, S. In order to form the corner section Cwhere this curved shape is maintained, the sealing portion 54 in thecorner section C is first cut so that only its inner peripheral part 54a remains, as shown in FIG. 24. Next, the extruded product 52 is set ina molding apparatus (not shown) while being curved at the corner sectionC, and a sponge rubber material is injected into the cut off part of thesealing portion 54, thereby forming a molded part 57, as shown in FIG.25. At this time, the molded part 57 is connected to the remaining innerperipheral part 54 a. In order to expand the sealing area of the cornersection C toward its outer periphery according to the corner shape ofthe door panel 3, the molded part 57 is formed so as to project towardthe outer periphery of the corner section C. In FIG. 25, cross-hatchinglines are shown only to make the range of the molded part 57 clear.

However, since the sealing portion 54 in the corner section C is almostentirely removed and replaced by the molded part 57, the range of themolded part 57 becomes large, which may detract from the appearance anddurability of the resulting opening trim 51.

Namely, even if the same kind of sponge rubber material is used for thesealing portion 54 of the extruded product 52 and the sealing portion ofthe molded part 57, they are different from each other in luster ontheir surfaces due to the difference in their forming method and aslight difference in their material and expansion ratio, and aborderline 58 is seen between them, which impairs the appearance of thecorner section C. Furthermore, since the sealing portion 54 of theextruded product 52 and the sealing portion of the molded part 57 aredifferent from each other in their state of deterioration, which isbrought by the contact with the door panel 3, their difference in lusteron their surfaces becomes greater with the passage of time.

In addition, the molded part 57 is formed from a molding material whosecomposition shows a good fluidity in a cavity, so the sealing portion ofthe resulting molded part 57 is rather soft. As a result, there also isa problem that the sealing portion of the molded part 57 is inferior tothe sealing portion 54 of the extruded product 52 in the durability.

According to the second conventional weather strip as shown in FIGS. 30to 32, an opening trim 151 is attached to a flange 102 of an openingperipheral edge of an automobile body 101, which seals a gap between thebody 101 and a door panel 103 when the door panel 103 is closed. Theopening trim 151 is mainly composed of an extruded rubber product 152except for a molded part. The extruded rubber product 152 is formed bycommon extrusion from a solid rubber, which forms an attachment portion153 and a lip portion 155, and a sponge rubber, which forms a hollowsealing portion 154. The attachment portion 153 has a metal reinforcinginsert 156 having a U-shaped cross-section. The attachment portion 153has a cover layer 161 for surface decoration, which extends from theboundary with the sealing portion 154 of the attachment portion 153 tothe back side of the lip portion 155 via its tip edge. The cover layer161 may be a cloth, a synthetic resin seat or a molded material from acoloring resin.

At a corner section 152 a of the extruded rubber product 152, a moldedpart 157, which has a curved configuration and has a projecting partextending toward the outer peripheral side over the outer peripheraloutline of the attachment portion 153 in accordance with the cornershape of the door panel 103, is provided. In order to form the moldedpart 157, the sealing portion 154 in the corner section 152 a is firstcut so that only inner and outer peripheral parts 154 a and 154 bremain. These parts 154 a and 154 b form inner and outer peripheries ofthe extruded rubber product 152 when the product 152 is curved,respectively. Next, the extruded rubber product 152 is set in a metalmold while being curved according to the corner shape of the door panel103, and a sponge rubber is injected into the cut off part of thesealing portion 154, thereby forming a molded part 157.

However, once the extruded rubber product 152 is removed from the moldafter the molded part 157 is formed as shown in FIG. 33, the cornersection 152 a, which has been curved until then, almost recovers itsstraight shape by the shape recovery force of the insert 156 as shown inFIG. 34. This requires operators who assemble the opening trim 151 ontoan automobile body to curve the corner section 152 a again with theirhands in accordance with the corner shape of the door panel 103, whichis bothersome.

Moreover, when the corner section 152 a recovers its straight shape,hems 157 a on both sides of the projecting part of the molded part 157are loosened, thereby transforming the projecting part into a wavyshape. If a long period of time passes while the projecting part istransformed into a wavy shape, the wavy shape remains in the projectingpart, which deteriorates a sealing ability and appearance of theprojecting part.

Furthermore, since the molded part 157 is formed from a sponge rubber, aheated metal mold is used to vulcanize the rubber. To prevent the heatfrom the heated metal mold from melting the surface of the cover layer161, the remaining inner peripheral part 154 a of the sealing portion154, which is connected with the molded part 157, is required to belarge so as to be used as a heat insulator for preventing heat transferfrom the heated metal mold to the surface of the cover layer 161. Forthis purpose, the boundary where the inner peripheral part 154 aconnects with the molded part 157 is easily seen from outside, whichimpairs the appearance.

Furthermore, since the projecting part of the molded part 157 ends in afree edge, it is easily turned over or swayed by the opening and closingof the door panel and is likely to deteriorate with age, whichdeteriorates a sealing ability and appearance of the projecting part.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a weather stripthat can provide a uniform luster on its surface by making an extrudedsealing portion appear on its surface as much as possible even in acorner section and that can reduce the appearance of a borderlinebetween an extruded part and a molded part, thereby improving theoverall appearance. Furthermore, it is another object of this inventionto provide a weather strip that can improve the durability of a sealingportion in a corner section.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a weather strip thatcan improve an assembling ability onto an automobile body, a sealingability and an appearance by preventing a shape recovery of a curvedcorner section.

At first, the following measures are taken to attain the above objects.

The first invention provides a weather strip comprising an extruded bodyhaving straight sections and a corner section curving therebetween, theextruded body comprising an attachment portion and a hollow sealingportion integrally formed by an extrusion molding, the attachmentportion being attached to a part of an automobile and the sealingportion being connected to the attachment portion at both ends, whereinthe weather strip comprises: an incision slit made on the outerperiphery of the sealing portion in the corner section; an incision edgeformed on the sealing portion along the incision slit, the incision edgebeing spread out toward the outer periphery of the corner section withthe attachment portion and sealing portion being curved along a cornershape of the part of the automobile; and a molded part formed at leastin the vicinity of the incision edge on the back side of the sealingportion in the corner section.

The second invention provides a weather strip comprising an extrudedbody having straight sections and a corner section curving therebetween,the extruded body comprising an attachment portion and a hollow sealingportion integrally formed by an extrusion molding, the attachmentportion being attached to a part of an automobile and the sealingportion being connected to the attachment portion at both ends, whereinthe weather strip comprises: a cutout long hole made by cutting out atleast a part of the sealing portion which is on the outer periphery ofthe corner section and not seen from the front side; a cutout edgeformed on the sealing portion along the cutout long hole, the attachmentportion and sealing portion being curved along a corner shape of thepart of the automobile; and a molded part formed at least in thevicinity of the cutout edge on the back side of the sealing portion inthe corner section and in a place which projects from the cutout edgetoward the outer periphery of the corner section.

The third invention provides a weather strip comprising an extruded bodyhaving straight sections and a corner section curving therebetween, theextruded body comprising an attachment portion and a lip-shaped sealingportion integrally formed by an extrusion molding, the attachmentportion being attached to a part of an automobile and the sealingportion being connected to the attachment portion at one end with theother end thereof being free, wherein the weather strip comprises: afree edge formed by locating the other end of the, sealing portion onthe outer periphery of the corner section; at least one cut made in thesealing portion from the free edge toward the inner periphery of thecorner section, the free edge being spread out toward the outerperiphery of the corner section with the attachment portion and sealingportion being curved along a corner shape of the part of the automobile;and a molded part formed at least in the vicinity of the fee edge on theback side of the sealing portion in the corner section and inside thecut which is expanded by the curved transformation of the sealingportion.

A weather strip according to each of the above described inventions canprovide a uniform luster on its surface by making an extruded sealingportion appear on its surface as much as possible even in a cornersection. The weather strip reduces the appearance of a borderlinebetween an extruded part and a molded part, thereby improving theoverall appearance. Furthermore, the durability of a sealing portion ina corner section can also be improved.

The incision slit or cutout long hole may be provided within the rangeof the corner section, or it may reach the straight sections over thecorner section.

It is preferable that at least one cut is made in the sealing portionfrom the incision edge or cutout edge toward the inner periphery of thecorner section, and that the molded part is further formed inside thecut which is expanded by the curved transformation of the sealingportion.

The cut may be made in the sealing portion in the vicinity of eachboundary between the corner section and the straight sections, or it maybe made in the sealing portion in the middle of the corner section.

It is preferable that each end of the incision slit or cutout long holeundergoes a rounding finish. It is also preferable that the end of thecut undergoes a rounding finish. This is because stress concentration ineach end can be improved by such a finish. For example, a round hole maybe formed at an end of a cut or an incision slit. Each end of a cutoutlong hole may form a semicircle.

In a manner, the molded part is not formed over to project from thespread incision edge or free edge toward the outer periphery of thecorner section. In another manner, the molded part is further formed ina place which projects from the spread incision edge or free edge towardthe outer periphery of the corner section.

The former manner is suitably employed when spreading out the incisionedge or free edge is sufficient to expand the sealing area of the cornersection toward its outer periphery, and it has the advantage of beingable to hardly show the molded part. The latter manner is suitablyemployed when spreading out the incision edge or free edge isinsufficient to expand the sealing area of the corner section toward itsouter periphery. Although a little of the molded part projecting fromthe incision edge or free edge can be seen from outside according to thelatter manner, the majority which can be seen from outside besides theslight molded part is the extruded sealing portion, so that theappearance of the resulting weather strip is hardly impaired. Likewise,although a little of the molded part projecting from the cutout edge canbe seen from outside according to the second invention, the majoritywhich can be seen from outside besides the slight molded part is theextruded sealing portion, so that the appearance of the resultingweather strip is hardly impaired.

Moreover, in each manner, the molded part may be formed on the entireback side of the sealing portion in the corner section, or it may beformed only in the vicinity of the incision edge, free edge or cutoutedge on the back side of the sealing portion in the corner section.

It is preferable that at least one rib is integrally formed on the backside of the molded part, extending in the direction where the cornersection curves along. This is because the rib reinforces the rigidity ofthe molded part, and serves to maintain the curved shape of the cornersection.

The molded part is not limited by its molding method such as a casting,an injection molding and a transfer molding. Examples of the flowingdirection of a molding material for the molded part include thefollowing manners (a) and (b):

(a) A manner wherein the molded part is formed by injecting a moldingmaterial into a region in the vicinity of the outer surface of theattachment portion which faces the back side of the incision edge, freeedge or cutout edge in the center of the corner section so as it to flowalong the back side of the sealing portion from the inner peripherytoward the outer periphery of the corner section; and

(b) A manner wherein the molded part is formed by injecting a moldingmaterial into a region in the vicinity of the back side of the incisionedge, free edge or cutout edge in the center of the corner section so asit to flow along the back side of the sealing portion from the outerperiphery toward the inner periphery of the corner section.

In each of manners (a) and (b), it is possible to set the moldingmaterial to reach final positions on the outer periphery of the cornersection in the vicinity of each boundary between the corner section andstraight sections. It is also possible to provide a tab on the outerperiphery of each final position so as to prevent the air fromremaining.

Although the attachment portion and sealing portion of the extruded bodyare preferably formed from a rubber, a thermoplastic elastomer also maybe used. The molded part may be formed from a rubber or a thermoplasticelastomer.

The fourth invention provides a weather strip comprising an extrudedbody having straight sections and a corner section curving therebetween,the extruded body comprising an attachment portion and a sealing portionintegrally formed by an extrusion molding, the attachment portion beingattached to a part of an automobile, the sealing portion sealing a gapbetween an opening peripheral edge of the automobile and an open andclosed panel, the sealing portion being cut off in a curved cornersection, and a curved molded part being formed in place of the cut offpart, wherein the molded part is formed from a soft thermoplasticelastomer (TPE), and a recovery preventing portion is formed on theattachment portion by an injection molding from a hard resin, therecovery preventing portion extending in the peripheral direction of thecorner section.

A weather strip according to the fourth invention can improve anassembling ability onto an automobile, a sealing ability and anappearance by preventing a shape recovery of a curved corner section.

It is preferable that the molded part comprises a projecting partextending toward the outer peripheral side over the outer peripheraloutline of the attachment portion, and a belt-shaped bridge connectingthe outer edge of the projecting part and the attachment portion. Such aconstruction prevents the projecting part of the molded part fromturning over or swaying by the opening and closing of the door panel orits deterioration with age, thereby improving the sealing ability andappearance.

Although the region on the attachment portion where the recoverypreventing portion is formed is not specifically limited, it iseffective in preventing recovery to form the recovery preventing portionto have a width parallel to a sidewall of the attachment portion. Forinstance, if the attachment portion has a U-shaped cross-section, it ispossible to form the recovery preventing portion on the inner surface orouter surface (including a surface which is appeared outside by the cutoff of the sealing portion) of the U shape.

Further objects of this invention will become evident upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiments described below. Variousadvantages not specifically referred to herein but within the scope ofthe instant invention will occur to one skilled in the art upon practiceof the presently disclosed invention. The following examples andembodiments are illustrative and not seen to limit the scope of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an opening trim of the first embodimentseen from its front side (especially, the part shown by an arrow I inFIG. 23);

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same opening trim seen from its backside;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III—III of FIG. 1:

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the same opening trim seen from theouter peripheral side of its sealing portion in which an incision slitand cuts are made;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a molding method for the same openingtrim;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an opening trim of the secondembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an opening trim of the thirdembodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an opening trim of the forthembodiment seen from the outer peripheral side of its sealing portion inwhich a cutout long hole and cuts are made;

FIG. 9 is a front view showing the same opening trim;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an opening trim of the fifthembodiment seen from the outer peripheral side of its sealing portion inwhich a cutout long hole and a cut are made;

FIG. 11 is a front view showing the same opening trim;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the same opening trim seen from itsback side;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line XIII—XIII of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an opening trim of the sixthembodiment seen from the outer peripheral side of its sealing portion inwhich a cutout long hole is made;

FIG. 15 is a front view showing the same opening trim from its frontside;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the same opening trim seen fromthe outer peripheral side of its sealing portion;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along the line XVII—XVII of FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing an opening trim of the seventhembodiment seen from the outer peripheral side of its sealing portion inwhich cuts are made;

FIG. 19 is a front view showing the same opening trim from its frontside;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing an opening trim of the eighthembodiment seen from the outer peripheral side of its sealing portion inwhich a cut is made;

FIG. 21 is a front view showing the same opening trim from its frontside;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing another opening trim seen from theouter peripheral side of its sealing portion in which a cut is made;

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of an automobile to which an opening trimis attached;

FIG. 24 is a front view of a conventional opening trim from which asealing portion is cut off;

FIG. 25 is a front view of the same opening trim after a molded part isformed;

FIG. 26 is a front view of the part A in FIG. 30 showing an opening trimof the ninth embodiment;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the same opening trim seen from itsback side;

FIG. 28 is a sectional view taken along the line XXVIII—XXVIII of FIG.26;

FIG. 29 is a sectional view as same as FIG. 28 showing a modifiedexample of the same opening trim;

FIG. 30 is a side view of an automobile to which an opening trim isattached;

FIG. 31 is a front view of a conventional opening trim;

FIG. 32 is a sectional view taken along the line XXXII—XXXII of FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram showing a curved corner section of thesame opening trim; and

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram showing the curved corner section whichalmost recovers its straight shape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Description will now be made of opening trims embodying the inventionwith reference to FIGS. 1-23. The first to ninth embodiments are mainlyemployed for attaining the above-mentioned objects.

[First Embodiment]

FIGS. 1 to 5 show an opening trim 11 of the first embodiment and amethod for forming a corner section thereof. The opening trim 11 ismainly composed of an extruded product (body) 12. The extruded product12 is formed by common extrusion from an EPDM (ethylene-propylene-dienecopolymer) solid rubber, which forms an attachment portion (trimportion) 13 having a U-shaped cross-section and a lip portion 15 havinga tongue-shaped cross-section, and an EPDM sponge rubber, which forms ahollow sealing portion 14 (concretely, it has a “C” loop-shapedcross-section). The attachment portion 13 has a metal reinforcing insert16 embedded therein. The sealing portion 14 is connected to theattachment portion 13 at both ends of the loop. As shown in FIGS. 3 and23, the attachment portion 13 is attached to a flange 2 of a dooropening peripheral edge of an automobile body 1, the sealing portion 14seals a gap between the body 1 and a door panel 3 when the door panel 3is closed, and the lip portion 15 covers an edge of an interior member(not shown) such as a garnish installed in the automobile interior onthe other side of the sealing portion 14 to seal a gap between the body1 and the interior member.

Since the opening trim 11 is required to be curved along a corner of thedoor opening peripheral edge, it has a corner section C which curvesbetween straight sections S, S. This curved shape of the corner sectionC has to be maintained. In order to expand the sealing area of thecorner section C toward its outer periphery in accordance with thecorner toward the outer periphery of the corner section C. The inner andouter peripheries of corner section C are the areas on corner section Cwhere its radiuses are the smallest and the largest, respectively.Construction of the corner section C will be described in detail by thefollowing forming process. (1) First of all, the sealing portion 14 iscut to make a linear incision slit 19 provided on a loop edge 17 on theouter periphery of the corner section C to thereby form an incision edge14 b on the outer periphery of the sealing portion 114, as shown inFIGS. 3 (see double dashed lines) and 4. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS.1, 2 and 4, cuts 18, 18 are made in the sealing portion 14, which runfrom the incision edge 14 b toward the inner periphery of the cornersection C in the vicinity of both ends of the incision slit 19 (in thevicinity of each boundary between the corner section C and the straightsections S, S) to thereby form a -shaped incision fin 14 a.

(2) With the attachment portion 13 and the incision fin 14 a beingcurved as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and with the incision edge 14 b beingspread out to project toward the outer periphery of the corner section Cas shown by an arrow in FIG. 3, the extruded product 12 is set in a mold20 as shown in FIG. 5. The mold 20 comprises a lower mold portion 21, afirst middle mold portion 22 which enters the attachment portion 13 tosupport it, a second middle mold portion 23 which supports the outersurface of the incision fin 14 a, a third middle mold portion 24 whichenters the incision fin 14 a, and an upper mold portion 25. A cavity 26is formed between the thus-set incision fin 14 a and third middle moldportion 24.

(3) An EPDM sponge rubber material is injected through a gate 27 (seeFIG. 5) into a region in the vicinity of the outer surface of theattachment portion 13 that faces the back side of the incision edge 14 bof the incision fin 14 a. Flowing along the back side of the incisionfin 14 a from the inner periphery of the corner section C toward theouter periphery thereof, the material is foamed and fills the cavity 26.As a result, a molded part 30 for maintaining the curved shape of thecorner section C is formed along the outer surface of the attachmentportion 13 and the entire back side of the incision fin 14 a, and insidethe cuts 18, 18 which are expanded by the above described curvedtransformation of the opening trim 11. As shown in FIG. 3, a crosssection of the molded part 30 is J-shaped. In FIG. 1, cross-hatchinglines are shown only to make the range of the molded part 30 clear (itis the same in FIGS. 9, 11, 15, 16, 19 and 21 where other embodimentsare shown). Though the thickness of the molded part 30 is notspecifically limited, 0.5 to 3 mm is preferable, and 1 to 2 mm is morepreferable. As for this embodiment, the thickness is 1.2 mm on theaverage though it depends on the position.

In this embodiment, the molded part 30 is not only formed on the entireback side of the incision fin 14 a, but also formed to project from thespread incision edge 14 b toward the outer periphery of the cornersection C. Accordingly, this embodiment is suitably employed whenspreading out the incision edge 14 b is insufficient to expand thesealing area of the corner section C toward its outer periphery inaccordance with the corner shape of the door panel 3. A flangeprojection 32 is formed on the outer most portion of the molded part 30.

Moreover, two ribs 31 are integrally provided on the molded part 30formed on the back side of the incision fin 14 a, and extend in adirection where the corner section C curves along. The ribs 31 reinforcethe rigidity of the molded part 30, and serves to maintain the curvedshape of the corner section C.

Unlike a conventional weather strip (opening trim) wherein the majorityof the sealing portion in the corner section is cut off, according tothe opening trim 11 of the present embodiment as described above, thesealing portion 14 remains as the -shaped incision fin 14 a, and theincision edge 14 b is spread out to project toward the outer peripheryof the corner section C. As a result, the extruded sealing portion 14(including the incision fin 14 a) is shown (appears on the surface) asmuch as possible. To the contrary, the molded part 30 appears on thesurface as little as possible except that it is slightly seen inside thecuts 18, 18 and seen in a place which projects from the spread incisionedge 14 b. Therefore, the opening trim 11 of the present embodiment canprovide a uniform luster on its surface. The weather strip reduces theappearance of a borderline between the extruded sealing portion 14(including incision fin 14 a) and the molded part 30, thereby remarkablyimproving the overall appearance.

Moreover, since the majority of the extruded sealing portion 14 having agood durability appears on the surface of the opening trim 11, thedurability in the corner section C can also be improved. When a venthole (not shown) is made for the sealing portion 14, it can be buriedfrom the back side of the incision fin 14 a.

It is possible to set the molding material injected from theabove-mentioned gate 27 (see FIG. 5) to flow along the back side of theincision fin 14 a in the direction as shown by double dashed lines inFIG. 1 and to reach final positions on the outer periphery of the cornersection C in the vicinity of each boundary between the corner section Cand the straight sections S, S. It is also possible to provide a tab 28on the outer periphery of each final position so as to prevent the airfrom remaining. After the opening trim is molded, the tabs 28 and a gateburr are cut off.

[Second Embodiment]

Next, FIG. 6 shows an opening trim 11 of the second embodiment. Theopening trim 11 is different from that of the first embodiment only inthat a molded part 30 is formed within the range of the back side of theincision fin 14 a and does not project from the spread incision edge 14b toward the outer periphery of the corner section C. This embodiment issuitably employed when spreading of the incision edge 14 b is sufficientto expand the sealing area of the corner section C toward its outerperiphery in accordance with the corner shape of the door panel 3 and ithas the advantage of hardly showing the molded part 30. As shown in FIG.6, a cross section of the molded part 30 is J-shaped.

[Third Embodiment]

Next, FIG. 7 shows an opening trim 11 of the third embodiment. Theopening trim 11 is different from that of the first embodiment in pointsthat a molded part 30 is formed only in the vicinity of the incisionedge 14 b on the back side of the incision fin 14 a, in a place whichprojects from the incision edge 14 b toward the outer periphery of thecorner section C, and inside the cuts 18, 18 which are expanded by thecurved transformation of the opening trim 11, and that the rib 31 isomitted. To the contrary with the first embodiment, the molded part 30of this embodiment is formed by injecting a molding material through agate 27 a shown by broken lines in FIG. 5 into a region in the vicinityof the back side of the incision edge 14 b so as it to flow along theback side of the incision fin 14 a from the outer periphery of thecorner section C toward the inner periphery thereof. Since the change inthe rigidity between the corner section C and the straight section S canbe reduced compared with the case where the molded part 30 is formed onthe entire back side of the incision fin 14 a, the load which is appliedto the door panel 3 is not extremely changed according to the presentembodiment.

This embodiment can be modified so that the molded part 30 does notproject from the spread incision edge 14 b toward the outer periphery ofthe corner section C.

This embodiment can also be modified by setting the molding materialinjected from the above-mentioned gate 27 a to flow on the entire backside of the incision fin 14 a in the direction as shown by double dashedlines in FIG. 1 and to reach final positions on the outer periphery ofthe corner section C in the vicinity of each boundary between the cornersection C and the straight sections S, S. It is also possible to providea tab 28 on the outer periphery of each final position so as to preventthe air from remaining. After the opening trim is molded, the tabs 28and a gate burr are cut off.

[Fourth Embodiment]

Next, FIGS. 8 and 9 show an opening trim 11 of the fourth embodiment.The opening trim 11 is different from that of the first embodiment inthe following points. Namely, the incision slit 19 is replaced with acutout long hole 33 formed by cutting out a part of the sealing portion14 that is on the outer periphery of the corner section C and is notseen from the front side (the part is shown in FIG. 8 which shows thesealing portion 14 seen from the outer side, while it is not shown inFIG. 9, which shows the sealing portion 14 seen from the front side). Acutout edge 14 c of the sealing portion 14 is formed along the long hole33, and a round hole 18 a is formed at the end of each cut 18. Each endof the cutout long hole 33 forms a semicircle.

After the cutout edge 14 c is formed by providing the cutout long hole33 and the cuts 18 on the sealing portion 14 as shown in FIG. 8, thecutout edge 14 c is curved as described in the first embodiment andspread out to project toward the outer periphery of the corner sectionC. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a molded part 30 for maintaining the curvedshape of the corner section C is formed on the outer surface of theattachment portion 13, on the back side of the incision fin 14 a, in aplace which projects from the cutout edge 14 c toward the outerperiphery of the corner section C, and inside the expanded cuts 18.Since stress concentration in ends of the cutout long hole 33 and cuts18, which occurs when the incision fin 14 a is spread out, is improvedaccording to the present embodiment, the opening trim 11 of the presentembodiment is prevented from splitting at these ends.

[Fifth Embodiment]

Next, FIGS. 10 to 13 show an opening trim 11 of the fifth embodiment.The opening trim 11 is different from that of the third embodiment inthe following points. Namely, the incision slit 19 is replaced with acutout long hole 33 formed by cutting out a part of the sealing portion14 which is on the outer periphery of the corner section C and not seenfrom the front side. A cutout edge 14 c of the sealing portion 14 isformed along the cutout long hole 33. A cut 18 is made only in a placeat the center of the corner portion C, and a round hole 18 a is formedat the end of the cut 18.

After the cutout edge 14 c is formed by providing the cutout long hole33 and the cut 18 on the sealing portion 14 as shown in FIG. 10, thecutout edge 14 c is curved as described in the first embodiment andspread out to project toward the outer periphery of the corner sectionC. Then, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, a molded part 30 for maintainingthe curved shape of the corner section C is formed in the vicinity ofthe cutout edge 14 c on the back side of the incision fin 14 a, andinside the expanded cut 18. As shown in FIG. 13, a cross section of themolded part 30 is J-shaped.

This embodiment can be modified as shown by double dashed lines in FIG.13 so that the molded part 30 is formed along the entire back side ofthe incision fin 14 a and the entire outer surface of the attachmentportion 13. The molded part 30 may not be formed to project from thespread cutout edge 14 c toward the outer periphery of the corner sectionC.

[Sixth Embodiment]

Next, FIGS. 14 to 17 show an opening trim 11 of the sixth embodiment.The opening trim 11 is different from that of the third embodiment inthe following points. Namely, the incision slit 19 is replaced with acutout long hole 33 formed by cutting out a part of the sealing portion14 which is on the outer periphery of the corner section C and not seenfrom the front side. A cutout edge 14 c of the sealing portion 14 isformed along the cutout long hole 33, and no cut is made. Both ends ofthe cutout long hole 33 of the present embodiment reach the straightsections S, S over the corner section C.

After the cutout edge 14 c is formed by providing the cutout long hole33 on the sealing portion 14 as shown in FIG. 14, the cutout edge 14 cis curved as described in the first embodiment and spread out to projecttoward the outer periphery of the corner section C. Then, as shown inFIGS. 15 to 17, a molded part 30 for maintaining the curved shape of thecorner section C is formed in the vicinity of the cutout edge 14 c onthe back side of the sealing portion 14, in both ends of the cutout longhole 33 which are expanded by the above described spread of the cutoutedge 14 c, and only on the outer periphery of the outer surface of theattachment portion 13. An EPDM solid rubber material is used for themolded part 30 of the present embodiment to firmly maintain the curvedshape of the corner section C.

This embodiment can be modified as shown by double dashed lines in FIG.17 so that the molded part 30 is formed along the entire back of thesealing portion 14 and the entire outer surface of the attachmentportion 13. The molded part 30 may not be formed to project from thespread cutout edge 14 c toward the outer periphery of the corner sectionC.

This embodiment can also be modified by enlarging the width of thecutout long hole 33 by cutting out all part of the sealing portion 14which is on the outer periphery of the corner section C and not seenfrom the front side, as shown by double dashed lines in FIGS. 14-16.With this modification, an arbitrary position of the extruded productcan be used as the corner section C without considering the position ofa vent hole (not shown) made on the sealing portion 14 of the extrudedproduct.

[Seventh Embodiment]

Next, FIGS. 18 and 19 show an opening trim 11 of the seventh embodiment.The opening trim 11 is different from that of the first embodiment in apoint that the hollow sealing portion 14 is replaced with a lip-shapedsealing portion 37. The sealing portion 37 is connected to theattachment portion 13 at one end with the other end thereof being free.Since the other free end (which is not connected to the attachmentportion 13) of the sealing portion 37 is located on the outer peripheryof the corner section C to serve as a free edge 37 b, there is no needto make an incision slit.

As shown in FIG. 18, cuts 18, 18 are made in the sealing portion 37,which run from the free edge 37 b toward the inner periphery of thecorner section C in the vicinity of each boundary between the cornersection C and the straight sections S, S to thereby form a -shaped freefin 37 a. The attachment portion 13 and the sealing portion 37 arecurved as described in the first embodiment, and the free edge 37 b isspread out to project toward the outer periphery of the corner sectionC. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, a molded part 30 for maintaining thecurved shape is formed along the entire outer surface of the attachmentportion 13 and the entire back side of the free fin 37 a, and inside thecuts 18, 18 which are expanded by the above described curvedtransformation of the opening trim 11.

This embodiment can be modified so as the molded part 30 to be formedonly in the vicinity of the free edge 37 b on the back of the sealingportion 37 or not to project from the spread free edge 37 b toward theouter periphery of the corner section C.

[Eighth Embodiment]

Next, FIGS. 20 and 21 show an opening trim 11 of the eighth embodiment.The opening trim 11 is different from that of the third embodiment inthe following points. Namely, the hollow sealing portion 14 is replacedwith a lip-shaped sealing portion 37 which is connected to theattachment portion 13 at one end with the other end thereof being free.A cut 18 is made only in a place at the center of the corner portion C,and a round hole 18 a is formed at the end of the cut 18. Since theother free end (which is not connected to the attachment portion 13) ofthe sealing portion 37 is located on the outer periphery of the cornersection C to serve as a free edge 37 b, there is no need to make anincision slit.

As shown in FIG. 20, the cut 18 is made in the sealing portion 37, whichruns from the free edge 37 b toward the inner periphery of the cornersection C in the vicinity of the center of the corner section C. Theattachment portion 13 and the sealing portion 37 are curved as describedin the first embodiment and the free edge 37 b is spread out to projecttoward the outer periphery of the corner section C. Then, as shown inFIG. 21, a molded part 30 for maintaining the curved shape is formedonly in the vicinity of the free edge 37 b on the back side of the freefin 37 a, and inside the cut 18, which is expanded by the abovedescribed curved transformation of the opening trim 11.

This embodiment can be modified so that the molded part 30 is formedalong the entire back side of the free fin 37 a and the entire outersurface of the attachment portion 13. The molded part 30 may not beformed to project from the spread free edge 37 b toward the outerperiphery of the corner section C.

As for such an opening trim 11 having a lip-shaped sealing portion 37that is connected to the attachment portion 13 at one end with the otherend thereof being free, as exemplified in the seventh or eighthembodiment, it is necessary to make at least one cut in the sealingportion 37. If the free edge 37 b is spread out without making any cuts,the cross-section of the sealing portion 37 in the extruded straightsection S will also be affected (especially, the cross-section of theother free end which is not connected to the attachment portion 13).

On the other hand, as for such an opening trim 11 having a hollowsealing portion 14 which is connected to the attachment portion 13 atboth ends, as exemplified in the sixth embodiment, it is not alwaysnecessary to make cuts in the sealing portion 14. This is because thecross-section of the sealing portion 14 in the straight section S, whichis connected to the attachment portion 13 at both ends, is notinfluenced easily even if the cutout edge 14 c (or the incision edge 14b) is spread out.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description of the structurewith reference to the first to eighth embodiments is not intended forlimiting the scope of this invention, but that variations ormodifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit ofthis invention. The following is a brief description of several examplesof such modifications.

(1) The depth of the cut 18 may be properly changed. It may be deeper orshallower than that shown in each Fig.

(2) The rib 31 may be properly changed in its size, shape or the number.It is also possible to increase the thickness of the molded part 30 toomit the rib 31.

(3) The flange projection 32 may be omitted.

(4) The lip portion 15 may be omitted.

(5) A rib may be provided on the outer surface of the attachment portion13.

(6) This invention may be applied to an opening trim which is attachedto an engine hood or a trunk of an automobile, or a weather strip whichis attached to an open and closed panel such as a side door panel, ahatchback door panel, and a trunk panel.

(7) The attachment portion 13 and sealing portions 14, 37 may be changedin their concrete shapes depending on places where they are applied. Forexample, it is possible to change the sealing portion 37 of the seventhembodiment into a sealing portion 38 having a V-shaped cross-section,which is attached to the attachment portion 13 at only one end, as shownin FIG. 22.

(8) The only difference between the incision slit 19 and the cutout longhole 33 is that the latter is formed by cutting out a part of thesealing portion 14 while the former is formed without cutting out.Therefore, they are mutually substitutable. For example, the incisionslit 19 of the first to third embodiment may be replaced with a cutoutlong hole 33 while the cutout long hole 33 of the fourth to sixthembodiment may be replaced with an incision slit 19. In a case that acutout edge is formed by making a cutout long hole 33, the cutout edgemay not be spread out.

[Ninth Embodiment]

Description will now be made of an opening trim embodying the inventionwith reference to FIGS. 26 to 30, which is attached to a door openingperipheral edge of a front side door of an automobile body 101 and sealsa gap between the body 101 and a door panel 103 when the door panel 103is closed, as shown in FIG. 30.

FIGS. 26 to 28 show an opening trim 111 of the ninth embodiment. Theopening trim 111 is mainly composed of an extruded rubber product (body)112 except for a molded part. The extruded rubber product 112 is formedby common extrusion from an EPDM solid rubber, which forms a U-shapedattachment portion (trim portion) 113 and a lip portion 115, and an EPDMsponge rubber, which forms a hollow sealing portion 114. The attachmentportion 113 has a reinforcing insert 125 having a U-shapedcross-section. The attachment portion 113 has a cover layer 124 extrudedfrom a coloring TPE for surface decoration, which extends from theboundary with the sealing portion 114 of the attachment portion 113 tothe back side of the lip portion 115 via its tip edge. The attachmentportion 113 is attached to a flange 102 of a door opening peripheraledge of the automobile body 101, the sealing portion 114 seals a gapbetween the body 101 and the door panel 103, and the lip portion 115covers an edge of an interior member such as a garnish installed in theautomobile interior on the other side of the sealing portion 114 to seala gap between the body 101 and the interior member.

At a corner section 112 a (a curved part between a horizontal straightpart and a vertical straight part) which is to be curved along the dooropening peripheral edge, a molded part 117 having a projecting part isprovided. In order to form the molded part 117, the sealing portion 114in the corner section 112 a is first cut off in a length of about 50 to100 mm remaining its inner and outer peripheral parts 114 a and 114 b.These parts 114 a and 114 b form inner and outer peripheries of theextruded rubber product 112 when the product 112 is curved,respectively. Then, the corner section 112 a of the extruded rubberproduct 112 is curved and the product 112 is set in a metal mold whichis not heated and composed of split molds and a core (this metal moldhas a cavity for forming the molded part 117 and a cavity for forming arecovery preventing portion 123). Next, a soft TPE material is injectedinto the metal mold to form the curved molded part 117 which issubstituted for the cut off part of the sealing portion 114 andconnected to the remaining inner peripheral part 114 a. Simultaneously,a belt-shaped bridge 122 is formed between the tip of the squarish outeredge of the projecting part of the molded part 117, which extends towardthe outer peripheral side over the outer peripheral outline of theattachment portion 113, and the attachment portion 113. Both ends of thebridge 122 are connected to the tip and the attachment portion 113,respectively.

The cross-section of the molded part 117 in both of its ends almostcorresponds to that of the outer peripheral part 114 b of the cut offsealing portion 114, while the cross-section of the molded part 117 onits center is squarish on the outer periphery to serve as the projectingpart in accordance with the corner shape of the door opening peripheraledge. On the back side of the squarish part, both sides of the bridge 22open apart from the attachment portion 113.

After the molded part 117 is formed, the recovery preventing portion 123is molded from a hard resin derived from polyolefin such as apolyethylene and polypropylene by an injection molding. The recoverypreventing portion 123 is formed on a surface of the attachment portion13, which faces the back side of the lip portion 115, extending in theperipheral direction of the corner section 112 a.

Although the region where the recovery preventing portion 123 is formedis not specifically limited, it is effective in preventing recovery toform the recovery preventing portion 123 to have a width parallel to asidewall of the attachment portion 113. For instance, it is possible toform the recovery preventing portion 123 on the inner surface of theU-shaped attachment portion 113 as shown in FIG. 29. In this case, awidth parallel to a sidewall of the attachment portion 113 is highlyeffective in preventing recovery, while a width parallel to a connectingwall which connects both sidewalls of the attachment portion 113 is notso effective. As shown by double dashed lines in FIG. 29, it is alsopossible to attach a separately molded recovery preventing portion 123to an outer surface of the attachment portion 113, which is appearedoutside by the cut off of the sealing portion 114.

The opening trim 111 as described above can prevent the curved cornersection 112 a from recovering its straight shape by the shape recoveryforce of the insert 156 since it has the recovery preventing portion123. Accordingly, different from a conventional opening trim, it can beeasily assembled onto an automobile body by operators without curvingthe corner section again with their hands.

The recovery preventing portion 123 also serves to preventtransformation of the molded part 117 due to the recovery of thestraight shape of the corner section 112 a, thereby improving a sealingability and an appearance of the molded part 117.

Since a TPE material and not a rubber material, which needs heating forits vulcanization, was used as a material for the molded part 117, ageneral metal mold for resins, which does not need heating, can be used.Therefore, it is possible to form the recovery preventing portion 123from a hard resin by an injection molding almost simultaneously with themolding of the molded part 117. Accordingly, manufacturing processes arenot greatly increased by the provision of the recovery preventingportion 123.

Furthermore, since a non-heated metal mold can be used to form themolded part 117, the conventional problem that the surface of the coverlayer 124 melts does not occur at all. As a result, the inner peripheralpart 114 a of the sealing portion 114 can remain as narrow as possible,so that the boundary where the inner peripheral part 114 a connects withthe molded part 117 is hardly seen from outside, which improves theappearance.

Moreover, the bridge 122 supports the projecting part of the molded part117, which prevents the projecting part from turning over or swaying bythe opening and closing of the door panel or its deterioration with age,thereby improving the sealing ability and appearance.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description of the structurewith reference to the ninth embodiment is not intended for limiting thescope of this invention, but that variations or modifications may bemade without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Thefollowing is a brief description of a few examples of suchmodifications.

(1) This invention may be applied to another corner section differentfrom the above-embodied corner section of the opening trim.

(2) This invention may be applied to an opening trim which is attachedto an engine hood or a trunk of an automobile. The attachment portionand sealing portion may be changed in their concrete shapes depending onthe place where they are applied.

(3) The TPE covering as the cover layer may be changed to a clothcovering.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodimentsthereof except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A weather strip comprising an extruded bodyhaving straight sections and a corner section curving therebetween, saidextruded body comprising an attachment portion and a hollow scalingportion integrally formed by an extrusion molding, said attachmentportion for being attached to a part of an automobile and said sealingportion being connected to said attachment portion at both ends, whereinsaid weather strip further comprises: a longitudinal incision made onthe back side of said hollow sealing portion along the corner section amolded part formed on the interior of said hollow sealing portion with aJ-shaped cross section formed separately from said extruded body, saidmolded being formed at least partially on an interior back side of saidsealing portion in said corner section, and at least two reinforcingribs integrally formed on said molded part on a surface opposed to thesealing portion and extending along a curving direction of said cornersection, said at least two reinforcing ribs for maintaining a curvedshape of said corner section.
 2. A weather strip as set forth in claim1, wherein said molded part is formed by injecting a molding materialinto a region in the vicinity of the outer surface of said attachmentportion which faces the back side of said sealing portion in a center ofsaid corner section so as to flow along the back side of said sealingportion from the inner periphery toward the outer periphery of saidcorner section.
 3. A weather strip according to claim 1, wherein said atleast two reinforcing ribs are aligned in parallel.
 4. A weather stripaccording to claim 1, wherein said at least two reinforcing ribs are forreinforcing a rigidity of said molded part.